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When Design Leads — And When It Drives: Two Faces of Innovation


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Over the years, I’ve found myself in many rooms. Some filled with engineers, others with executives, and quite often, rooms lit up by the glow of ambition, where design, technology, and business collide. But it wasn’t until I stood at the crossroads of design-led and design-driven innovation that I truly understood the power of design not just as a tool, but as a language of change.

So, what’s the difference between these two design philosophies—and why should business leaders care?

Let me take you back.



The Control Room Story: When Technology Needed to Matter


At Barco, I led the development of next-generation control rooms for mission-critical environments in the Barco Control Room Design team out of Karlsruhe , and this for energy grids, air traffic management, public safety. These weren’t products; they were environments where decisions could make or break lives. And the traditional approach wasn’t enough.

We started with design-led innovation.

We didn’t wait for a business case. We started by reframing the problem. It wasn’t just about displaying more data on more screens. It was about rethinking what the operator really needed at 3AM, with low lighting, high pressure, and a world depending on them. Through immersive prototyping, design sprints, and human-centered workshops, we created new spatial layouts, display ecosystems, and interaction flows.

Design led. Technology followed.

The result? A radically different control room concept that pushed our engineers to develop new value-oriented displays and software platforms. It changed the conversation—not just about what we were building, but why.

But then came the second wave.

As our solutions matured, something new emerged: our clients started assigning new meaning to the control room. It wasn’t just a workplace anymore. It became a symbol of trust, of future-readiness, of safety. Our clients were inviting government ministers and CEOs to visit the control room,not the boardroom.

That’s when we entered the realm of design-driven innovation.

Here, design didn’t just solve problems. It shaped meaning. We worked with futurists, branding experts, and domain pioneers to understand how these environments could reflect values like sustainability, transparency, or resilience. The control room became a strategic asset, not just an operational one.


Design-Led vs. Design-Driven: Why It Matters for Leaders


In that journey, I witnessed the shift:

As a leader, the question is no longer just "Can we build this?" But rather, "Why would it matter?"


The White Space Approach


At White Space Strategy, I help organisations navigate both these worlds. Some need to reimagine their offering through design-led innovation, where we prototype the future before it exists. Others need design-driven innovation—to uncover hidden value, reshape perceptions, and lead with meaning.

Sometimes, we do both.

Because in today’s complexity, innovation isn’t just about doing things differently. It’s about making different things matter.

Let’s connect. If you’re a business leader trying to find the next breakthrough, not just in technology, but in relevance, then design might be your most underused lever. I’d love to explore how. If you want to learn more, hear more and understand better.


 
 
 
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